Friday, September 16, 2011

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM COACH DON MEYER (PART II)

Our team had the good fortune of taking in the morning session of Coach Don Meyer's Leadership Seminar last week in Orlando. We asked each of our student-athletes to list at least once concept that resonated strongly within them.

BRYEASHA BLAIR: Something that Coach Meyer said that really hit home was that every captain isn't a leader. A leader is not only someone who leads by example but someone who also motivates.

STEPHANIE TAYLOR: Two big things I got from Coach Meyers’ lecture are you have to have a strong desire to succeed & also you have to be a follower first in order to be a leader. I also remembered him saying that usually the right decision is the toughest decision.

GEVENIA CARTER: Coach Meyer talked about discipline and how a lack of it is detrimental to the team. Not only as a team, but as an individual first and for most you have to seek, find, and simply do whatever is required to better you for your team. "There is nothing more harmful to your team than the lack of discipline." - Coach Meyers.

RACINE DAVIS: What I got from Coach Meyer's Leadership Seminar was that “you get adrenaline from what you’re passionate about.” I love that quote because cause it's so true. You put the most energy into what you love to do. Another thing I got from the seminar was in order to lead you have to be servant.

LEONELLA MONTALVO: I really enjoyed how he emphasized being thankful for today. I think this applies to many things in life including basketball and outside of basketball. If a person is willing to be thankful for today, then they will be willing to give their best effort in everything they do.

AARIKA JUDGE: At Coach Meyer’s seminar I learned that the right decision is often the hardest decision to make. Also, you should always be at your best because while you may not see others they’re always watching.

ERIKA JONES: During the Leadership Seminar one thing that hit me was when he said you have to be the person you want to follow. It made me look at some of the things I do and decisions and make.

SARAH GREEN: One thing that really resonated with me was the quote Coach Don Myer gave that said, "Peace is not the absence of trials, torments, and storms, but the calm in the midst of them." When adversity hits, which it always will, there has to be one person that can calm everyone down and bring the focus back to the process.

MEGHAN KEOUGH: One of my favorite quotes he said was to "watch the way you treat people on your way up the ladder of success, because they'll be there on your way down." I think that this goes along with what he said about leadership. In order to be a leader, you must have followers and you must have served. A leader must be strong and confident, but also understanding and have earned the respect of her teammates.

He also said adrenaline comes from passion. Your mind and body can do amazing things when you have a deep passion for something. You hear of people picking up cars to save their child's life when they are trapped underneath. This is adrenaline. If you can play with intensity and fire, you will be able to push your body to places thought unimaginable.

KAYLI KEOUGH: The thing that I got from Coach Meyer that I want to apply to my life is his concept of N.B.A.: Next Best Action. It's easy to complain about the present situation, but God has your world a certain way for a reason and it is my job to just continually move forward. We can't change outside factors but we can take the appropriate action to better ourselves and the people around us regardless of difficulties.

ANDREA HINES: I learned from Coach Meyer that in order to be a good leader you have to be a good follower first. Another was that you can have anything you want, but not everything you want.

ASHIA KELLY: The one thing I learned from Coach Meyer was the right decision is often the toughest decision. This means to me that although it may be difficult right now, the effects of this decision will bring excellence later.